1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to fastening assemblies for mounting a main printed circuit board (PCBs) to an electronics cover, and to connector alignment for docking a subsidiary PCB.
2. Description of the Related Art
Often in PCB configurations, subsidiary PCBs (sometimes known as "daughter boards") are connected to a main PCB (sometimes called a "mother board"). The daughter board connectors are mounted directly on the top surface of the mother board so that a planer mother card has daughter cards that plug into it perpendicular to the card plane. This configuration is used to render the PCB configuration more compact, thereby shortening the circuit path in the apparatus and allowing the apparatus to operate at greater speed.
A perpendicular mother/daughter configuration requires that support be provided to the mother card during insertion or removal of the daughter cards to prevent over stressing of the planer card. In addition, a means of fastening the mother card within an electronics package must be provided that includes standoffs to insure clearance between the card and the electrically conductive covers. Also, during docking of a daughter card with the mother board, a means of guidance for the daughter card's connector must be provided to prevent damage to the connectors that might result from misaligned plugging of the daughter card into the mother board.
The prior art has detailed alignment features for connectors to allow accurate connection of daughter cards to mother boards. The prior art has also detailed mounting devices for mounting circuit cards to electronic packages or covers by utilizing some fastening means that includes fasteners. However, it would be desirable to provide an overall system for mounting circuit cards to covers that includes standoffs to separate the cards from the cover, connector alignment pins for aligning daughter cards during docking with a mother board, and to provide these functions by a simple, efficient and economical design that quickly and simply mounts and releases the circuit card from the electronics cover without requiring complicated assembly such as with fasteners, for example.